Vehicle airbags are safety devices that deploy toward the interior of a vehicle to help protect its occupants from injury in the event of a crash. Airbags may be concealed behind or beneath an interior panel during normal vehicle operation until such an event. When the airbag deploys, it typically does so through a deployment opening formed in or around the interior panel. The deployment opening may be pre-formed in the panel, the panel may move away to reveal the opening, or the opening may be formed during airbag deployment at a pre-determined location in the panel. Where formed during deployment, a tear seam may be provided in one or more components of the panel to at least partially define the pre-determined location of the opening. Such panels may include decorative coverings disposed over a substrate to achieve a desired aesthetic in the vehicle interior. These types of decorative coverings can include an outer skin layer and one or more optional underlying layers of material designed to provide a particular look or feel.
Great Britain U.S. Pat. No. 1,343,974 describes a multilayer material that may be used for decorative purposes. In particular, it describes various ways to simulate a wood grain pattern, a gold leaf pattern, or a marble pattern. One method includes providing an outer transparent film layer having a grain, gold leaf, or marble pattern applied thereon and forming a layer of material on a backside of the film that contrasts in color with the pattern to make the pattern visible when viewed from the front side. The contrasting color can be provided as a second transparent film layer on the backside of the outer layer or as a pigmented foam material. This faux-graining technique is disclosed for use in the furniture industry using high density foams that simulate the density of wood and was developed in an attempt to limit the need to hand carve wood to a desired shape by allowing molding of such shapes using synthetic materials.